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Overview

For more than 25 years, this trusted reference has guided physicians through every aspect of their practice, offering advice that has encouraged excellence, strengthened careers, and broadened patient bases. Now thoroughly updated and streamlined, the 6th edition features many all-new chapters and meticulous revisions to reflect the latest approaches and findings. This new edition is a comprehensive, authoritative source that helps readers meet every clinical and professional challenge they face.

Editorial Reviews

Doody's Review Service

Reviewer: Donald R. Frey, MD (Creighton University Medical Center)Description: This is the sixth edition of Dr. Rakel's classic text, last published in 1995. This version continues its global approach to presenting the volume of knowledge inherent in the practice of family medicine.Purpose: Once again, the author seeks to provide a comprehensive book on the specialty of family medicine and, as before, it clearly excels in this regard. Audience: Although written for students and practitioners of family medicine, the book will be helpful to anyone wishing to have a comprehensive reference on primary care. If more subspecialists owned this work, one can only imagine the improved efficiency in patient care that would result. Once again, Dr. Rakel has assembled a distinguished team of authors to assist with the book.Features: The book's strong community and holistic approach is underscored in the first 17 chapters, which deal with such issues as patient education, communication, and psychosocial influences. Chapters related to specific disease systems are well constructed and practitioner focused. Tables and illustrations are timely, but not overdone. References are current and helpful. The book's only area of concern is its section on managed care, which seems to suffer from a distinct industry bias. Assessment: Establishing a comprehensive book for what is arguably the most comprehensive medical specialty on earth is a daunting task, but once again, this book is up to the challenge. Not only are the nuts-and-bolts problems which routinely confront family physicians well covered, entities which many practitioners may see but once in a lifetime are also clearly described. This work continues to be the best single reference for the specialty of family practice.

William A. Schwer

This is the 5th edition of a textbook that encompasses almost all aspects of family medicine. It is particularly focused to be practical and clinically relevant. The previous edition appreared in 1990. The purpose is to provide a resource in the training of family physicians and to help the practicing family physician to remain current with recent medical advances. This book has been well recognized in the past as accomplishing these worthy objectives, and this new edition certainly continues to meet them. All chapters contain new information and many of the authors are family physicians. The book is written for residents and practitioners in family medicine, and I believe it meets the needs of both groups. This text is one of the mainstays in a resident's or practitioner's personal library. Dr. Rakel is an esteemed family physician. The authors of each chapter include many well known family physicians. A unique feature of this book is the incorporation of many chapters concerning psychosocial issues; this is very refreshing to see in a medical text. The illustrations are appropriate, although the book may be slightly underillustrated. The currency and pertinence of the references are outstanding. The authors of each chapter have properly referenced their articles in depth. This edition of Dr. Rakel's textbook continues the high standard that one has come to expect. The updating of each chapter to include the newest advances in medicine is vitally important. Every library, bookstore, and family physician should acquire this edition. Dr. Rakel continues to balance the hard scientific knowledge with the art of medicine in a fine fashion. His textbook has always been the epitomeof covering all aspects of the problems that a family physician faces.

JAMA

There is something here for everyone in primary care.

American Family Physician

This is probably one of the few 'big books' all family physicians should own.

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